Upholstery installation and fastener elements for use therewith



Bec. 17, 1929. R, F WAL-VERS 1,740,431

UPHOLSTERY INSTALLATION AND FASTENER LMENTS FOR USE THEREWITH Filed July 24. 1924 y ma.

0 ovwo OY\ n @flags Patented Dec. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEA BOLLO F. WALTERS, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

UNITED-CARR FASTENER CORPORATION, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A COB.-

PORATION 0F MASSACHUSETTS UPHOLSTERY INSTALLATION AND FASTENER ELEMENTS FOR USE THEREWITE Application filed. uly 24,

rlhis invention aims to provide an improved upholstery installation.

In the drawings, which illustrate a preferred form of my invention Figure l is an elevation of an automobile door showing the upholstery removed to expose the framework of the door;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the upholstery showing that side Which normally lies toward the door;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section through a portion of the door, showing the upholstery secured thereto by a fastener, being partly in elevation; f

Fig. d is an enlarged fragmentary view of the upholstery showing one of the studs as viewed from the inside of the upholstery Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an elevation view of the preferred form of part for holding a stud in position relative to the form;`

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of the preferred form of stud; and

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a simple, inexpensive and quick means of attaching an upholstered installation to the door of an automobile. This method of fastening includes. as illustrated, the use of simple, one-piece studs which are so mounted in the upholstered installation as to be easily and quickly shifted in any transverse direction relative thereto, thereby to permit alignment of the studs With their cooperating sockets and also to square the edges of the installation with the edges of the door.

I have illustrated the door of an automobile because of its simplicity in showing the adaptation of my invention, which, however, is not limited to automobile doors.

The door 1, as illustrated, is preferably pressed from a single sheet of metal and when formed presents a peripheral Wall 2, a frame-like surface 3 having a plurality of stud-rcceiving apertures 4 therethrough which may be punched or drilled previous to forming the door, and a supporting flange 5 which is preferably .integral with the inner 1924. Serial N0. 727,957.

edge of the frame-like surface, thereby to provide a support therefor.

The preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated is an upholsteryinstallation for covering a door and includesarelativelystitt' form 6, of cardboard or the like, having punched therethrough a plurality of apertures 7 which are locatedadjacent the periphery of the form and are spaced apart to align with the studreceiving apertures 4:, substantially as shown and described in the co-pending application of Walters, Serial No. 727,959, filed herewith.

The studs which are presented by the installation, as illustrated, are substantially differlent in construction and are secured to the installation in a different manner than those illustrated and described in the above-meuf tioned application.

In this instance, as illustrated in Fig. 7 the stud is pressed from a single sheet of metal and has a relatively short open head 8, neck 9, substantially long shank portion 10, base ll and slots 14 which extend into the base' l1 to permit contraction and expansion of the head 8. 'llhe stud is also provided with reversely bent portions 8a at the head 8 of the stud, and these portions strengthen the contractible and expansible portions of the head of the Stud so that they cannot be bent out of shape.

`When secured to the installation, each stud presents a head and a neck through an aperture 7 in the carboard form 6 for engagement With the stud-receiving apertures 4 in they frame of the door. The base of the stud seats against the opposite face of the form 6 and a disc 12 is placed thereover and secured to the form to prevent the stud from falling out of the aperture 7 in the form.

The disc 12 may be of paper or the like or metal, and may be secured to the form in any suitable manner, but I-prefer to proJvide a disc made of compressed paper which is provided With a recess 13 of substantially larger cross-section than ,the base l1 of the stud,

thereby to permit transverse movement of the base. relative to the disc l2. The rim 14 of the disc is preferably covered With an adhesive which may be moistened to secure the disc in place upon the form 6. Thus, as illustrated in Fig. 3, each stud is free to move in any transverse direction relative to the form 6.

When the studs are all secured to the form 6, a flexible covering 15 of cloth, leather or the like is applied to that side of the installation to which the discs are secured, thereby to provide an upholstered finish to the installation.

Engagement of the upholstery with the door is effected by placing the installation with the studs facing the stud-receiving apertures and thereafter pressing the heads of the studs into engagement with their cooperating I stud-receiving apertures., When thus secured, the upholstery is held firmly in place and the edges thereof are held tightly against the frame-Work of the door.

llf the studs do not register with some of A the apertures l in the frame of the door, they maybe easily shifted, by a suitable tool, so that they will be aligned with their cooperating apertures and may then be pressed into engagement therewith.

`While l have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention, l have done so for purposes of clarification and not for purposes of'limitation. The scope of my invention is best defined in .the appended claims.

Claims: l

1. An upholstery installation including a relatively stiff form, a plurality of studs positioned with their bases against the outer face of said form and with their socket-engaging portions passing through said form and attaching means adhesively secured to said form for preventing said studs from separating from said form, said studs being shift- ,mv able transversely in any direction relative to said form and said attaching means.

2. An upholstery installation including a form of relatively stiff material, a plurality of apertures therethrough, a plurality of socket-engaging studs, each of which presents a head and neck at one side of said form, a shank passing through an aperture in said form, said aperture being relatively larger in diameter than the diameter of said shank to permit free movement of the stud in any transverse direction relative to said form, a base seated against the opposite side of said form, a disc adhesively secured to said form directly over said base to hold the stud in assembly with said form, said disc presenting a recess therein to permit free movement of the base of said stud relative to said disc, and a covering of flexible material secured to said form and stretched over one face thereof to conceal the discs, saidvdiscs preventing the flexible material from interfering with the shifting movement of said studs.

' In testimony whereof, I have signed my name vto this specification. ROLLO' F. WALTERS.. 

